Romans 14:18 – Becoming God Pleasers
For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Truth to Learn
Serving Christ pleases God and gains the respect of others.
Behind the Words
The expression “in these things” is from the Greek en toutois, most likely referring to “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Some Greek texts have en toutō (in this), however the meaning is essentially the same (in this three-fold description of kingdom living; righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit).
“Serves” is translated from douleuō, which is the verb form of the noun doulos, meaning “a bond slave whose will is completely submitted to his master/owner.”
The adjective “acceptable” is translated from euarestos, made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and areskō, meaning “to please” or “to be agreeable.” Thus, euarestos literally means “well pleasing.” I prefer this translation over “acceptable” because it shows us that it’s not simply okay with God, but that He really likes it.
“Approved” is from dokimos, which is based on the verb dokimadzō, meaning “to test something to ascertain its worth.”
Meaning Explained
The three characteristics of the kingdom of God spoken of in the previous verse are seen by some as a comprehensive division of true living Christianity. The first, righteousness, is a description of our standing with God (He sees us as having the righteousness of Christ). The second, peace, is a description of our relationship with others (especially other Christians). And joy in the Holy Spirit is a description of how others see us (full of calm delight) when we are completely submitted to God.
In verse thirteen of this chapter Paul told us that serving others is more important than serving ourselves. If you go back to the Ten Commandments given to Moses, you will notice that serving others instead of self fulfills the second table of the Law (Commandments seven through ten). The point that Paul is making in the current verse is that serving God is more important than serving self. That fulfills the first table of the Law (Commandments one through six). We’re told that limiting our own freedoms based on what might cause a fellow Christian to stumble is an act of serving Christ (being His bond slave) and this is “well pleasing to God.”
Paul then goes on to say that not only does it greatly please God when we sacrifice our own desires in favor of those of our brothers or sisters, but this kind of action is “approved by men.” Those who see your behavior for what it really is will think it a worthy or noble thing that you have done.
We are not supposed to do things just to impress others, but this is one of those cases where if we are applying ourselves to pleasing God, we will also receive recognition from others for our good deeds.
Application
We would all like to be the kind of person who pleases our Heavenly Father and who receives recognition from others for our unselfish lifestyle. Unfortunately, we still have a sin nature which draws us back to our selfish ways. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, however, we can become the kind of Christian we want to be. Let’s pray!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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